Widespread popular anger against the bourgeois parties

The elections to 12 Corporations in Maharashtra witnessed various initiatives that challenged the domination of the powerful political parties of the bourgeoisie - the Congress, NCP, BJP and the Shiv Sena. Many sections of the people of the state clearly expressed their rejection of these parties and their politics. While complete results have not come in, it seems that a large number of independents and candidates of smaller parties have either won in their wards or posed a good challenge to these parties.

Long before the election campaigns began, Lok Raj Sangathan raised the issue of answerability of the elected representative to the people. Popularising the line "No to party selected candidates, yes to candidates selected by the people", Lok Raj Sangathan activists could be seen distributing leaflets in the streets and holding discussions with the people in different wards of Mumbai, Thane, and Ulhasnagar. People expressed their enthusiasm that there was a force that was suggesting reforms which if implemented would ensure that elected representatives could be brought under the control of the people.

In the Ulhasnagar Corporation, Lok Raj Sangathan branch of Ulhasnagar prepared demands of the people of the area and called upon the people to come forward to form their committees to become capable of exercising control over the elected representatives. This call received enthusiastic response from many areas of Ulhasnagar. One of the candidates accepted the demands presented by LRS, including the demand that he will cooperate with the people's committee and step down if he was not able to fulfill peoples expectation. LRS activists actively supported the campaign of this candidate.

In Juhu ward there was a vigorous campaign. After holding dozens of meetings in the areas of the polling booths, the Area Sabha Representatives were selected. Each such area has about 1200 voters and the meetings were attended by 100 to 125 people. 25 such selected people constituted a Ward Committee, out of which one person was declared as the consensus candidate. The purpose of the ward committee was declared to prioritize the tasks which had to be taken up in each area and then to assist the elected representative to carry these out. To get their candidate elected, residents carried out systematic campaign to contact the voters.

In Dharavi area, the redevelopment plan the government is trying to foist upon the people has become a big issue. Like in other working class neighborhoods, the bourgeoisie’s plans pose a great threat to the people while offering a bonanza for the builders and their patrons. Dharavi, for the three lakh residents, is not just a place to live in, but a place to earn their livelihood as well, because each street in Dharavi houses hundreds of home industries. Even if a builder provides them resettlement, they are wondering if they will be able to run their businesses from mass housing colonies. To address these issues, the Dharavi Bachao Samiti (DBS) was established in 2004. DBS fielded candidates from each of the five wards in Dharavi. The candidates and activists of this committee took out many processions through the crowded lanes and by lanes of Dharavi and through the medium of songs, skits and speeches raised the issues of the people. According to DBS, Congress-Nationalist Congress or BJP-Shiv Sena alliances are but two sides of the same coin. A popular slogan in their campaign was "Defeat the Congress and Save Dharavi!"

There were many candidates among the residents of BDD Chawls in Worli. Majority of these were concerned about getting crushed by the juggernaut of the bourgeois plan to transform Mumbai into another Shanghai. One candidate said that people of his chawl had adopted the line of Lok Raj Sangathan and he was nominated from among 11 non-party potential candidates in a local meeting.

Among other notable initiates: the house maids fielded candidates from more than one ward. The ex-IIT students who started the Bharat Punarnirman Dal fielded ten candidates from Mumbai and Thane wards. Similarly, the Lok Rajniti Manch fielded many candidates with the aim of challenging the candidates of the established parties.

People's Voice considers the various initiatives of the people in Maharashtra during the Corporation elections as the beginning of the challenge to the domination of the political system and political process by political parties. It may seem that once again, the bourgeoisie has won, in the sense that one set of the parties of the ruling class has been returned to power in each of the Corporations. But the real issue is that discussion has begun amongst the people, and people have begun to organise for change.